May 18, 2009

Before sitting down to talk I told Molyvann about my travels around the country, from Sihanoukville to Battambang, documenting his work. He seemed both impressed that someone would undertake a project based around his career and curious to know how his buildings were holding up. He usually met the news with mixed feelings; happy that his works were being cared for, but unhappy with some of the small changes. He was happy to know the chapel in Sihanoukville was still being used, but not so when he heard that the grey brick and mortar cladding had been painted orange. He was happy to know that the National Bank in Sihanoukville had been renovated, but not so pleased that the staff housing was being rented to vacationers. He would say later:

the main idea behind the habitat sociale is that the user of the habitate social must not be a renter, must be an owner of the apartment because they take charge much more of the property that someone who rents.